The Divine Pillar Emerges

After her figure disappeared, Bai Fu reappeared in the same spot. He looked down at what Qiaoqiao had given him—a jade comb, exactly the same as the one in his memory.

He never prevented Qiaoqiao from entering his private vault; in this life, she simply hadn't gone in yet. It seems she has truly remembered everything.

His killing intent surged, his brow furrowed, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

After walking for a while, the winds of the Devil Realm stirred up dust. As they approached the ferry, Qiaoqiao suddenly stopped.

She turned around.

"Senior Brother, how long are you going to follow me?"

Chapter 67 The Divine Pillar Appears

Shen Ji followed Qiaoqiao all the way to the Devil Realm.

After returning to the sect from Heavenly Secrets City, he went into seclusion to break through his cultivation level. The day he emerged from seclusion was the same day his junior brothers and sisters returned from the Demon Realm. Although he had successfully broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm and made even greater progress in his Sword Realm, he still felt somewhat guilty upon hearing about the perilous experiences they had encountered in the Demon Realm. As the senior brother, he really shouldn't have gone back early; he should have stayed with his junior brothers and sisters, at least he could have been of some help.

What happened next caught Shen Ji completely off guard: his junior sister was a goddess reincarnated, and his master had actually cultivated the Slaughter Sword Dao, plunging the Three Realms into chaos...

Shen Ji remembered that on his first day on the mountain, his master asked him why he wanted to learn swordsmanship. He replied, "To uphold righteousness and punish evil."

His cultivation of the Luminous Sword Heart, dedicated to slaying demons and eliminating evil, has led him to question the true meaning of good and evil after experiencing these events.

Song Wuya, who claimed to be the orthodox master of the immortal sects, was actually a traitor. His master abandoned the Guardian Sword Dao, causing chaos in the world. Cultivators from various sects were only concerned with their own affairs and even plotted against each other, with no one willing to take responsibility and protect the righteous path.

He held a sword, its edge sharper than ever before, yet he felt an unprecedented sense of bewilderment.

Until he caught his junior sister sneaking out of the sect, he didn't have time to think about anything else; he was worried about her safety, so he followed her.

He didn't want to follow her, as it wasn't in his nature, but his junior sister avoided everyone and was very careful, afraid of being discovered. Shen Ji was worried that she might encounter danger alone, so he secretly followed her.

The more I tried to keep up, the more panicked I became. My junior sister was heading straight for the Devil Realm!

This gave him a vague idea of Qiaoqiao's purpose—she was going to find her master.

Now that there is no place for his master in the cultivation world, Shen Ji, as his disciple, guessed that he should be in the Devil Realm, and his junior sister obviously thought so too.

After crossing the Flowing Nether River, Shen Ji became even more careful to conceal his whereabouts. He hadn't expected that Qiaoqiao would still discover him under these circumstances. She was simply too perceptive.

He removed the Invisibility Incantation and emerged from the sandstorm.

"Junior Sister..."

He was momentarily at a loss for words. Should he comfort her and tell her not to be too sad? Or should he ask what she and his master had just discussed? His master was in better condition than he had expected; he hadn't completely lost his mind, but being consumed by the Slaughter Sword Heart was perhaps only a matter of time.

But why, Master...?

While I was hesitating, I heard my junior sister's inner thoughts—

[Wow, the eldest brother looks like a lost lamb.]

[How pitiful.]

Shen Ji:...

He was even thinking about how to comfort his junior sister.

Her ability to adjust her mindset is absolutely unparalleled; no one can compare.

He's overthinking it.

but--

He looked up at the top of Qiaoqiao's head. When he followed Qiaoqiao out, there was a line of conspicuous black characters above her head. This time, those characters had remained for a long time without fading. Why had they disappeared now?

Did Master do something?

He couldn't understand it.

"Senior Brother, why are you following me?"

"It's too risky for you to sneak into the Devil Realm," Shen Ji said disapprovingly.

Although she was quick-witted enough, and he almost couldn't resist helping her several times when they encountered danger on the road, she always managed to cleverly resolve the situation.

Let's leave this place first.

Every extra minute spent in the Devil Realm increases the danger.

"But..."

"It seems we can't leave."

Following Qiaoqiao's gaze, Shen Ji felt a chill run down his spine and abruptly turned around.

Amidst the sandstorm, a tall figure slowly emerged.

His crimson cloak billowed in the wind, and his blood-red eyes stood out starkly against the dim yellow Nether River Styx. His demonic power raged with the gale, and the overwhelming pressure that swept over him caused beads of sweat to form on Shen Ji's forehead.

Devil Master.

Before they reached the ferry, the Devil Master blocked their path!

He slowly stepped forward, blocking Qiaoqiao's path, and whispered, "Find a chance to cross the river."

Qiaoqiao didn't obediently nod. Instead, she stood on tiptoe behind him and looked at the Devil Master. Compared to when he broke into Flowing Cloud Peak last time, his aura was even more astonishing. The powerful pressure brought by his demonic eyes made people sweat profusely.

Most people would be trembling with fear, and even Shen Ji was forcing himself to remain calm.

Even though he had already advanced to the Nascent Soul, he couldn't even discern the true depth of the Devil Master's cultivation; the opponent was stronger than he had ever imagined.

Logically speaking, he should try to escape in this situation, but he had his junior sister behind him, and he couldn't back down.

[The Devil Master's looks are still so disappointing.]

[It looks like a rooster with bloodshot eyes.]

Shen Ji:

Not nervous at a time like this, I must say, you're truly something, junior sister!

But you know what, they do look a bit alike.

[Strange, why is his belly so big? It looks like he kicked a ball!]

Shen Ji's gaze shifted downwards. Although the cloak obscured his view, it was clear that the Devil Master's abdomen was swollen. He hadn't been able to get a close look last time; had it been like this before?

[This will take at least five months, right?]